Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-10-07

s.67s cubic feet per second could be guaranteed
at all stages Of the river, and large additional
quantities could be leased subject to Interrupt
ton. N. Il 8 f5ss5 p 3s.sss
/ The lowest stage of the ryer occurs ordinarily
in the winter The melting Of the SHOWS in the
spring furnishes = yolnme Of water which keeps
the streams up until the Jnne aud July rains
the effect OF which Is not lost upon the river ln,
| til late in the season. The winter is usually
| marked BY steady cold weather, without thaws
or rains. precuding the accession Of water to the
streams which consequently get very low toward
spring. S$ + ssgEs5l IA # s
| This arrangement of nature Is very favorable
to the operation of saw mills In connection with
flour mills and other industries, as the saw mills
do not run during the winter, and can be sup
piled to a large extent without diminishing the
| quantity available for more permanent estab.
lishments. g ~ ~ ~ =
In estimating the mill power, according to the
rules laid down by competent engineers, it is de-
fncd as the right to draw, etc, $50 many cubic
feet of wafer per second that being multiplied by
the existing fall in feet, the product shall be
75o." On this basis the company will beable TO
RUN PERMANENTLY HlNETY-K1GHT MILL POWERS
aud In ordinary seasons as much as Thirty MILL
POWER ADDITIoNAE for period of six or eight
months, easily. : -. = -. -, =
Comparison With Other Water Powers.
Although Southern Minnesota. Iowa, and Wis
consin abound in hourishing towns, indebted for
their prosperity to their water power, very few
enterprises for the Development of water power
have been undertaken in the Western country
on comprehensive scale with sufficient means.
In support OF this it will be instructive to glance
at the history Of similar enterprises in the East
Water Power at Lowell.
The company controlling the water power at
Lowell, Mass, was chartered in 1892, as naviga-
ton company, under the name of'The Proprie-
tors of Locks and Canals on Merrimack River"
1t owned only so much land rs was necessary for
its canal-basins. locks, tow paths, ana other ad
juncts of its business. About the year 1920, the
water power began to be valuable for rnanufact-
uring, and the Merrimack Manufacturing Com
pany was organized. The founders of this COM
pany purchased the stock Of the proprietors of
Locks and Canals and forcseeing the probable
effect Of these enterprises upon the value of
real estate, purchased farms in the vicinity to
the extent Of some seven hundred acres.
The corporate existence of the Proprietors of
Locks and Canals was maintained, and the real
estate transferred to that company, which has
continued thenceforth to be q central agency for
the management of the water power and other
interests common to the several manufacturing
com panies. The water power to which each
company is entitled is represented by shares in
the capital stock of the proprietors, the total
number of shares being four thousand one hun
drcd and eighty-onc, and the total amount of
water power being one hundred and thirty-nine
mill powers. This is the quantity that can DE
guaranteed at the lowest stage Of the river. The
excess, above this quantity, can be.used OH pay
ment of rentals which increase with the quantity
used. This rental, as fixed in 1870, is S. per day
per mill power, when the excess used does not
exceed 30 per cent of the quantity to which the
party is entitled. and varying from that up to
so per day. when the excess is more than so per
cent OF the said quantity. This later figure is
nearly S1O0 per annum horse power. At the low
est rental above named, the permanent power at
Little Falls would be worth something like
s15O,0G) por annum. The capital stock of the
"Proprietors'' never changes hands, and, there
fore, has no market value. The purchases of
land at Lowell proved to be on entirely too iin,-
itctl scale. More than half the closely built
portion of LOWELL ana nearly all the suburban
portion. is on land never owned by the compa
ny. The purchases should have been, at least,
four times as great The present valuation of
Lowell is about $50 600 o0o. of which nearly ole
half is probably represented by real estate. This
will enable US to form some idea of the probable
profit from the purchase of q tract of land coy.
erng the entire town site.
The Essex Company.
The Essex Company which controls the water